Printing &nbsp for formatting String text

[a_iyer20]

The following piece of code is supposed to add html spaces in place of leading spaces.

/**
 * Finds all leading spaces on each line and replaces it with
 * an HTML space ( )
 *
 * @param s string containing text to replaced with  
 * @return the new string
 */
public final static String leadingSpaces(String s) {
    s = noNull(s);

    StringBuffer str = new StringBuffer();
    boolean justAfterLineBreak = true;

    for (int i = 0; i < s.length(); i++) {
        if (justAfterLineBreak) {
            if (s.charAt(i) == ' ') {
                str.append("&nbsp;");
            } else if (s.charAt(i) == '\n') {
                str.append(s.charAt(i));
            } else {
                str.append(s.charAt(i));
                justAfterLineBreak = false;
            }
        } else {
            if (s.charAt(i) == '\n') {
                justAfterLineBreak = true;
            }

            str.append(s.charAt(i));
        }
    }

    return str.toString();
}

I tried using this code in my application for formatting String text. he outcome includes "&nbsp" in its body. Could you please let me know what I am missing. The code snippet is from:

http://svn.opensymphony.com/svn/oscore/trunk/src/java/com/opensymphony/util/TextUtils.java

[masijade]

What is wrong with using the String.format() method or PrintWriter.printf() method?

Edit:

Nevermind.

It's suppossed to have

 

in it's body.

What are you viewing the output with, however. You show what you are doing, but what is this a part of?

A servlet, A JSP, a standalone application? There is a lot of missing context here.

[a_iyer20]

Ok.
Heres what I intend to do:

I am working on a JSF Application. The jsp page presented to the user should show him a table like looking text data.

The contents to be shown to the user using the jsp page are preconstructed in a Java Class. To display the String(text) data to the user in a formatted way is the ultimate motive.

String.format() is part of jdk(1.5) correct me if I am wrong! My Company has 1.4. So String.format() cannot be used.

As you had earlier suggested, padding spaces can be done. I tried this but the alignment of text fails.

I searched over the internet and found an example to use Formatter. This has the problem of &nbsp.

If this issue gets solved, The application passes the Acceptance Testing from the user. Please advice.

Thanks,
Ashok.

PS: Please let me know if there is any further info required.

[a_iyer20]

Could you please let me know how this can be achieved using PrintWriter. I am relatively new to Java. So I am less confident in the usage of some of these concepts. It is not that I am not trying and simply asking in posts.

[a_iyer20]

Hi Masijade, Please have a look at the output below:

FROM FLIGHT Wgt REMARKS

CX333/14Mar08 12Q7 13Q6
CX555/14Mar08 1Q7 13Q6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You can notice that in the 2nd Row, 13Q6 alignment does not match to the 1st Row. Although, I have used padding to Col length = 15. They show misalignment. This result is copied form a resultant .jsp page. In my console of the application, java output has come out perfectly like this:

[3/18/08 10:43:03:451 CST] 0000003d SystemOut O result of the OP ==>
FLIGHT Wgt REMARKS

CX333/14Mar08 12Q7 13Q6
CX555/14Mar08 1Q7 13Q6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
So it is something that the .jsp behaves. Please advice.

[a_iyer20]

btw, the alignment that I am referring to from the console output is perfect. It does not show up correctly in this page also. Actually alignment is fine when I print it to the console.

[masijade]

Well, why don't you use a table? A table with a border, padding, and spacing of 0 will give the appearance of text columns.

The other option, since the console print looks correct, is to surround the block with "pre" tags.